Klein's heart tightened as he hid in the shadows, but he quickly calmed down, showing no trace of fear.
Because he was absolutely certain that the figure reflected in the smooth surface of the golden disc was not him—or at least, not the real him!
If it really were him, "Winner" Enzo would still see the Gray Fog, see that strange picture resembling a mythical creature form, and that would cause Klein himself to faint on the spot!
Since nothing happened to me, the "mirror" doesn't reflect me... Klein thought as he activated his Spirit Body Threads vision while manipulating "Winner" Enzo, who, carrying the "Sea's Words" cane, approached the collapsed pale giant pillars and the broken ancient houses, and quietly released some "luck."
The dark-skinned puppet stepped forward one by one until he reached the golden disc. Tucking the cane under his arm, he bent down, picked it up, and examined it carefully:
The disc had two layers, an inner and an outer. The central area was as smooth as a mirror, with very few lines, while the edges were engraved with bird-shaped creatures one after another, giving the whole object an ancient, ornate feel.
The image it reflected remained unchanged. Although it was aimed at the puppet Enzo, what it showed was Klein himself—gloomy, pale-faced, eyes devoid of life. It even included the "Scepter of the Sea God" and the triple crown and papal robes that came with the "Tyrant" card. If not for the absence of the Gray Fog, Klein would definitely have thought that the disc could directly affect him through the puppet and the spirit body threads, or that, like what happened to the "Black Saint" in the God Battle Ruins, a copy of himself had been split off without his knowledge.
What does this mean... Klein unhurriedly grew out of the shadow area, restored himself to the appearance he had when he first entered Calderon, and then used the "Clown"'s extraordinary ability to reflect his current state in his mind:
He held a bone scepter inlaid with blue-green gems, wore a papal robe with a cape, and a triple crown adorned with different "gems." His face was hidden in the corresponding shadows, making it quite blurry, but his overall aura was gloomy and decayed, as if he were a living corpse just dug out of a grave!
This... Klein was startled, never expecting that he had actually changed. The golden disc really had shown himself—except for the part where the Gray Fog merged with reality!
If it doesn't involve the Gray Fog, it's not a big deal... He quickly comforted himself to calm his mental state.
Normally, with Klein's rich experience and good self-regulation, there was no need to do this at such a time, but first, he considered that holding the "Scepter of the Sea God" made him prone to irritability and he had to be constantly vigilant; second, he knew that this place was once the divine kingdom of the Ancestor of the Undying Phoenix, Gregari, which preserved arrangements for her resurrection, inevitably causing all kinds of anomalies, so he couldn't help being more nervous than usual.
After manipulating "Hell Admiral" Ludwell to return and using his extraordinary abilities to examine himself, Klein made a preliminary judgment:
"Those who enter Calderon naturally transform toward the state of the dead. This is similar to the underworld, but there is an essential difference. Here, living beings do not suddenly die and slowly become mindless undead; they become dead directly."
He hadn't noticed this earlier because Enzo and Ludwell were already essentially dead and didn't need to transform... "Magic Mirror" Arrodes and "Red Light" El Moria hadn't mentioned it, probably because the "Travelers," spirit world creatures, and angels who left alive all naturally returned to normal after going out? This transformation couldn't affect the power of the Gray Fog as it merged with reality, and the disc only showed the part of him that had become dead, not all of him, or the part that had interacted with Calderon? Klein leaned toward the latter judgment but couldn't be sure.
Just then, a sound rang out nearby:
Dong!
Dong! Dong!
The sound was heavy and crisp, as if someone was striking metal.
Klein did not react immediately; he listened carefully for two seconds before having "Winner" Enzo put down the heavy golden disc and walk toward a broken tombstone not far away.
The half-length tombstone corresponded to a building that extended underground. On it was written in the language of the dead:
"...A guy who got angry very easily, died because he used his head to compete with someone else's hammer in hardness."
"Winner" Enzo bypassed the broken tombstone, reached the entrance of the mausoleum-like building, extended his left hand, turned the handle, and pulled the door open with force.
In the creak of rust breaking, the heavy door slowly swung open.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows condensed from pale light shot out!
They brushed past Enzo's face, head, torso, and inner thighs, flew into the distance, pierced the ground, and vanished, while "Winner" remained unscathed.
...I have to say, such a puppet is practically an artifact for adventure exploration... Klein sighed with genuine admiration, then directed Enzo to look into the building below:
It was a blacksmith's shop. A giant with blue-black skin and a head that looked like a smashed watermelon was holding a large hammer and striking an anvil repeatedly, but there was nothing on it.
Because the giant with the split head had normal spirit body threads and did not belong to anyone else's split soul, Klein quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to have Enzo observe further, his body suddenly went numb, and his thoughts slowed.
He had experienced this kind of sensation before—when he was affected by the sealed artefact "2—049" in Tingen City back then!
In the past, Klein didn't understand the essence, but after becoming a "Puppet Master," he realized that it meant that his own spirit body threads were being controlled by the sealed artefact!
In other words, his spirit body threads were now being manipulated by someone!
What's more, unlike before, not only did his joints feel "rusted," as if filled with glue, but he also had a strong paralyzing sensation like being struck by lightning, making it even harder to move.
Not good... It's a Spirit World Predator... I was on guard... It used a split soul... to distract me... approached stealthily... but I didn't expect that besides the split soul... it also has... an accomplice... that giant... blacksmith... made me careless... and the existence of the puppet... made me... somewhat... neglect... my own... safety... Various thoughts uncontrollably surged into Klein's mind, interfering with his attempts to save himself.
At that moment, the giant blacksmith with the cracked head lifted his large hammer and lunged toward the puppet Enzo in one stride, intending to smash him into pulp, while at Klein's neck, a cold wind seemed to blow, making all his hairs stand on end.